“I think that you have a sense now that the Iraqis just had a very significant election with no significant violence that we are in a position to start putting more responsibility on the Iraqis and that’s good news not only for the troops on the ground but for the families who are carrying an enormous burden.” — Barack Obama in einem TV-Interview am 01.02.2009 zitiert in “Obama: Iraq’s peaceful elections aid US troop pullout“, The Jerusalem Post.

The timetable would give the military three months more to withdraw than the 16-month pullout Mr. Obama promised last year on the campaign trail. Officials said he was prepared to make that shift because he agreed with the concerns of ground commanders who wanted more time to cement security gains, strengthen political institutions and make sure Iraq did not become more unstable again. — Peter Baker und Elisabeth Bumiller, “Obama Favoring Mid-2010 Pullout in Iraq, Aides Say“, New York Times, 24.02.3009.